"Vertical Planes" by Mark Wolfram is an original composition for brass quartet (B-flat trumpet, French horn, trombone & tuba) and large concert band. The work was commissioned by Dr. David M. Booth and the Wright State University Wind Symphony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the university. They premiered it on February 2nd, 2017 at the Ohio Music Education Association annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio. The university applied brass faculty (Dr. Daniel Zehringer-trumpet, Prof. Jonas Thoms-horn, Dr. Gretchen McNamara-trombone, and Dr. Thomas Lukowicz-tuba) were the featured brass quartet.

“Vertical Planes” is an opportunity for the applied brass faculty (and/or outstanding applied brass students) to be featured with a university wind symphony, community band or superior high school band. The music explores many planes: planes of existence, planes of geometry, planes in the air - vertical planes, rocketing off to new worlds, future planes, new experiences and limitless possibilities. Although not meant to be a programmatic work, multiple compositional techniques are employed to represent parallel universes, unseen phenomenon (gamma rays, x- rays, etc.) and the vastness of space - both inner and outer.

“Vertical Planes” gives the brass quartet an opportunity to display technical prowess, small ensemble “tightness” and impeccable pitch - all housed in a vehicle which gives each member of the quartet plenty of step-out solo lines and affords the applied brass faculty an opportunity to recruit by example. Many performance techniques are in the work, giving the conductor the opportunity to teach and perfect the use of precise articulations, multiple time signatures, tempo changes, octave and unison tuning, warm blended sounds, perfectly aligned ensemble passages, and multiple compositional techniques. In addition to the conductor having the opportunity to reveal and explain these many disciplines to the band while in rehearsal, the audience will enjoy an exciting concert-going experience with expert soloists performing with a top-notch large wind band.

"Vertical Planes" is a GRADE 5/6 concert band composition which highlights angular melodies, colorful sonorities, heterophony, time signature changes, tertian, quartal and serial composition in an exciting blend which is both intellectually satisfying and aesthetically pleasing. The work has a duration of approximately 10:20.

A complete set of full-sized parts and a bound, transposed
full score are included. Available only through this website from Sound Studio Publications. The instrumentation/parts distribution for each set is as follows: